Selective Encryption for Video Trick Play and Security
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current encryption technologies for video content, such as those used in video-on-demand systems, face challenges in enabling trick play functions like fast forwarding and reversing while maintaining content security, as traditional encryption methods complicate the creation of trick play files.
Innovation Solution
The system selectively encrypts portions of a content stream based on specific rules, leaving certain data unencrypted, such as trick play data and packet identifiers, and employs encryption key rotation using Entitlement Control Message packets, allowing for real-time decryption and index file generation without re-indexing the content stream.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional encryption methods are applied to video content, then content security is improved, but the ability to perform trick play functions (fast forwarding, reversing) deteriorates due to complications in creating trick play files
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the video content stream into distinct portions: encrypted portions (main content) and unencrypted portions (trick play data, index information, and other metadata). This segmentation allows the content to be protected while still enabling trick play functions by keeping the necessary control data accessible and unencrypted.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the content stream are assigned different encryption states based on their functional requirements. Critical content data is encrypted for security, while trick play data and index information remain unencrypted to facilitate easy access and manipulation for fast forwarding and reversing operations.
2Reliability
If full content encryption is applied, then piracy protection is improved, but processing efficiency and device resource utilization deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of encrypting the entire content stream, the patent applies encryption selectively to only the portions that require protection (main content data), while leaving other portions (trick play data, index information) unencrypted. This partial encryption approach maintains piracy protection while significantly reducing processing overhead and improving device efficiency.
3Reliability
If encryption is applied early in the distribution stream, then content protection is improved, but flexibility for content manipulation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the content stream to separate protected content from manipulative data. By keeping trick play data and index information unencrypted even when content is encrypted early in the distribution stream, the system maintains flexibility for content manipulation while preserving early encryption benefits for piracy protection.
Data Source
AI summary
A system, apparatus, and method are directed towards allowing ingestion of encrypted content into such as a VOD server, or PVR, or the like by selectively encrypting portions of a content stream based on various selection rules. In one embodiment, the selection rules include leaving selected portions of the content stream unencrypted, including packets that include a PES header; or video packets that include various trick play data such as picture start, GOP start, sequence start, sequence end data; PIDs associated with a PAT, PMT, or the like; while other portions of the content stream may be encrypted, including video and/or audio PIDs, or other video and/or audio portions. In still another embodiment, Entitlement Control Messages (ECMs) may be inserted that employ an encryption/decryption key rotation scheme, such as odd and/or even scrambling control bit structures, which may also be rotated based on a variety of conditions.